Zakir Musa is new chief of Al-Qaeda linked Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind
Militant commander Zakir Musa, who broke ranks with Hizbul Mujahideen, has been named chief of Al-Qaeda linked new jihadist group Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind in Kashmir. This is for the first time in the 27 year insurgency in Kashmir that the global jihadist group has made an indirect entry into the restive state. Musa, an engineering dropout, had joined Hizbul Mujahedeen in 2013 when slain militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani was leading the outfit. After Wani's killing, Musa parted ways with Hizbul and joined Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind. In a statement in English and Urdu posted on the Twitter, Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind said a new movement of jihad has been founded by the companions of Wani under the leadership of Musa. “After the martyrdom of heroic Mujahid Burhan Wani, the jihad in Kashmir has entered a stage of awakening as the Muslim nation of Kashmir is committed to carrying the flag of jihad to repel the aggression of tyrant Indian invaders. And through jihad and with the aid of Allah only we will liberate our homeland Kashmir,” the statement said. DIG of Police for North Kashmir Nitish Kumar tweeted: “New franchisees, newer multinational brands...same creaking market of Kashmir”. United Jihad Council (UJC), the umbrella group of over a dozen Kashmiri militant outfits based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, distanced itself from the outfit. “There is neither any place nor any requirement for any global militant outfits,'' said UJC chairman Syed Salahuddin. Analysts believe the linking of Kashmir militancy with Al-Qaeda create a negative impression about the situation in Kashmir. They believe it will be difficult for the international community to sympathise the separatist movement in Kashmir.
Relief for five Army men involved in Machil fake encounter
On July 26, the Armed Forces Tribunal's suspended the life imprisonment of five soldiers, including a colonel and captain, involved in the killing of three civilians in a fake encounter and passing them off as foreign militants, at Machil, Kupwara in 2010. The murders had triggered the 2010 separatist uprising in Kashmir in which 110 people were killed and hundreds were injured. The five-month long agitation had nearly paralysed the Omar Abdullah-led government amid calls for his resignation. The agitation died down after Masarat Alam Bhat, who rallied the protesters from June to October, was arrested. The Army had decided to court martial the accused in December 2013, three years after the investigations by police found Shehzad Ahmad, Riyaz Ahmad and Mohammad Shafi of Nadihal were lured with a promise of work and then killed in a fake encounter. The accused were sentenced to life in 2014 by Summary General Court Martial (SGCM). The accused were imprisoned after the then general officer commanding-in-chief northern command Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda had confirmed the sentence.
The Tribuna's orders have come as big relief to Colonel Dinesh Pathania, the then commanding officer of 4 Rajput Regiment, Captain Upendra, Havaldar Devendra Kumar, Lance Naik Lakshmi and Lance Naik Arun Kumar.
The families of the victims rejected the reprieve to the accused and vowed to continue the fight for justice.
“We don't accept it,'' said Muhammad Yousuf, father of one the victims, Riyaz Ahmed. ''We have suffered so much all these years and the murders of my son have been set free with any punishment.''
Two counter-insurgents Bashir Ahmad Lone and Abdul Hamid Bhat along with Territorial Army Rifleman Abbas Hussain Shah had lured three youths from Nadihal village in north Kashmir to Kalaroos in Kupwara district with the promise of a job. The fake encounter was exposed after the families of the youth lodged a missing complaint with the police. Later, the families identified the bodies of the three youth prompting the police to initiate action against the Army. Human Rights activists have expressed dismay over the decision of the tribunal. “We are not surprised by this verdict. The present government does not want the morale of the armed forces to be affected in any manner,'' said activists Parvez Imroz. ''It happened with Pathribal fake encounter, Kunan Poshpora rape and now Machil fake encounter.''
'No third party intervention needed'
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on July 22 rubbished the statement of NC patron Farooq Abdullah urging Centre to seek the help of US and China to mediate over the Kashmir issue.“There can be no place for a third party intervention in Jammu and Kashmir," Mehbooba told reporters in Anantnag. “Let America and China mind their own business. Look at the places where America has interfered, be it Afghanistan, Syria, or Iraq. While China has its own problems to deal with in Tibet. We have the Lahore Declaration and the Shimla Agreement with us,” she said. "When we have to resolve the issue together (India and Pakistan), then why do we need any third party"? Mufti asked.
